Research Program

Key Awards

Urology

Language(s) Other than English

Russian

Treatment Philosophy

I am a surgical specialist who treats tumors of the adrenal, kidney, prostate, bladder, testis, and other genitourinary organs. Working closely with other members of the Fox Chase multidisciplinary team, I make certain that my patients are aware of all the choices that today's cutting edge oncological care has to offer, regardless of whether these treatments take place inside or outside the operating room.

When surgery is necessary, I strive to offer the best operation that fits an individual's particular condition and circumstance. Indeed, my unique fellowship training in both traditional open surgery and minimally-invasive approaches such as laparoscopy and robotics, allows me to offer a wide range of options that optimize oncological outcomes and minimize recovery time. For example, I am skilled at both open and robot-assisted nerve-sparing prostatectomy and open, laparoscopic, and robotic kidney surgery. Particularly, I have advanced expertise in kidney preservation. For patients with bladder cancer, I am able to offer both bladder-sparing approaches and the latest techniques in continent urinary reconstruction. Furthermore, I have a particular interest and expertise in treatment of various tumors and conditions that stem from the adrenal gland.

As a clinician at an academic institution such as Fox Chase, I actively participate in medical research. In particular, my academic interests focus on kidney, prostate, bladder, and adrenal disease. Being an active contributor to the medical literature, I hope to offer my patients the most up-to-date information on medical progress and, if necessary, help them enroll into appropriate clinical trials — many of which are only available through Fox Chase.

Modern oncology offers patients tremendous hope; however, today's treatment options can be overwhelming, especially to those who are trying to cope with the shock of a recent cancer diagnosis. I greatly appreciate the toll that such a diagnosis can take not only on the patient, but also on his or her family. I hope to bring to every one of my patients a sense of understanding and compassion that can help us effectively work together to achieve the best outcome that modern medicine has to offer.

"Until September 2012 I thought statistics were just that; a tool. Then I learned I had a rare form of bladder cancer that accounts for less than one percent of all bladder cancers. I soon learned that bladder cancer itself comprises less than five percent of all cancers. After a bit of Internet searching I decided not to delve any deeper into the probabilities."

After being diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, Joe Briggs sought treatment at Fox Chase Cancer Center, where he underwent a robotic prostatectomy. About three months after surgery, he was back to work and spending time with his family. He credits Fox Chase as being oat the forefront of cutting-edge treatment options for cancer. "Looking back, I am confident that Fox Chase was the best place for my care and that it was the best decision that we have made," Joe said. "I feel they are offering world-class treatment 30 minutes from my house. They use cutting-edge treatments that are performed by the brightest minds in health care who care about me and care about my wife and family."

At 81 years old, Victoria Mirarchi was still active and healthy before undergoing surgery at a local hospital to remove a large mass from her abdominal area. The mass was diagnosed as liposarcoma, an aggressive tumor. When the tumor returned twice, Victoria decided to seek a second opinion from the specialists at Fox Chase Cancer Center. Following the surgery at Fox Chase, Victoria is happy to report that the cancer has not returned. She said, "I am so happy everything went well, and I still go back to Fox Chase every few months to see Dr. Reddy. I wish nothing but the best for all the surgeons there, and keep them in my prayers daily."

In June, 2012, Bil Sauer, an entrepreneur and owner of several businesses, was wrapping up a busy work week. It was late afternoon on a Friday, and his wife Laura and he were planning on spending the weekend at their lake home with their two teenage children Tom, 14, and Tehya, 18. “It was getting late so I told my wife and kids to go ahead and I would meet them there,” recalls Bil. He lost track of time and it was almost 7:00 pm before he left his Bucks County office. Bil decided he would drive up on Saturday morning instead.

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Research Program

Research Interests

Dr. Kutikov has authored over 140 peer-reviewed publications. His current research interests include understanding carcinogenesis of genitourinary cancers, risk-stratification of surgical outcomes, and quantification of competing risks. He serves on editorial boards of academic journals, including being the Associate Editor of Digital Media for European Urology, the field of Urology's leading academic publication.

Dr. Kutikov also has significant interests in harnessing web and mobile technology to improve patient engagement and quality of care. He is a co-founder of several ventures that strive to improve physician education and patient care.

Lab Overview

In collaboration with Vladimir Kolenko, MD, PhD, and Robert Uzzo, MD, our research efforts span the basic and the clinical sciences. Our work focuses on understanding the process of renal and prostatic carcinogenesis and assessing novel therapeutic regimens for the treatment of urological cancers.

As part of our work, we explore the role of zinc in development and progression of prostate malignancy. Zinc concentrations diminish early in the course of prostate carcinogenesis—prior to histopathological changes—and continue to decline during progression toward castration-resistant growth. The objective of research in our laboratory is to test and advance an emerging paradigm that intracellular zinc deficiency augments malignant potential of prostate cancer cells and, therefore, promotes prostate tumorigenesis. We are also investigating the role of zinc chelators as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer. Work performed by Dr. Kolenko indicates that treatment of prostate cancer cells with the zinc chelating agent TPEN induces selective down-regulation of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) and sensitizes cancer cells to cytotoxic agents. Importantly, the observed effect is not limited to prostate cancer, as TPEN reduces expression of XIAP in malignant cell lines of various origins, e.g. colon, ovarian, leukemia, breast and cervical.

The second major theme of our research is to determine the mechanism of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKIs)-resistance in genitourinary tumors. Our studies reveal that TKI-resistance coincides with the loss of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) protein expression in prostate and renal malignant cells. On the contrary, expression of PTEN sensitizes prostate and renal tumors to multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunitinib both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, our studies indicate that an increase in expression of IL-6 and IL-8 correlates with sunitinib and pazopanib resistance in prostate and renal tumor cells. Use of a reliable biomarker for TKI response, harbors promise both in the clinical and research settings.

In the clinical arena, we focus our efforts on addressing quantification of competing risks of death for patients with urologic malignancies, investigating the biology and natural history of small renal masses, improving reporting and risk-stratification of surgical outcomes for patients with kidney cancer, and addressing clinical approaches to patients with adrenal cancers and incidental adrenal masses.

I have the utmost respect for Dr. Kutikov and trust him with my cancer treatments.

5.0

May 17, 2018

I have complete confidence

5.0

May 11, 2018

Dr. Kutikov showed much respect & made me feel very comfortable. Great Job!

5.0

May 10, 2018

It was an excellent experience and I have chosen Dr. Kutikov for my Bladder surgery

5.0

May 03, 2018

Dr. Kutikov has been an amazing partner in the process of diagnosing and informing me of all the options available to me regarding my prostate cancer. he guided me through the options available and helped me make a very informed decision as to the treatment that I would ultimately select for my care, which was a prostatectomy. I totally trusted his opinion and three years out as of April 3, am doing excellent, thanks to Dr. Kutikov. I couldn't be more pleased with my results.

5.0

May 01, 2018

Great guy!

5.0

April 30, 2018

Good

5.0

April 21, 2018

My experience with Dr. Kutikov could not have been better. He is a great doctor. During my initial appointment he answered all my questions, and took time to explain the procedure to me. I am very satisfied with him.

5.0

April 19, 2018

Dr. Kutikov is amazing as he is wonderful, professional and makes me feel as if I am his only patient. His experience makes me confident in everything that has been done and everything that will be done.

5.0

April 05, 2018

Dr kutikov is awesome and I would recommend him to anyone in a similar situation in a heartbeat

5.0

April 05, 2018

The best doctor I've ever gone too for sure!

5.0

March 22, 2018

Dr. Kutikov is always willing to listen. He is very caring and compassionate

5.0

February 28, 2018

Dr. Kutikov is the man who saved my life; he is awesome.

5.0

February 28, 2018

I can't say enough good things about Dr. Kutikov. He is outstanding!

5.0

February 28, 2018

Superb doc!

5.0

February 14, 2018

Very good.

5.0

February 09, 2018

Dr Kutikov is very knowlegable of any New treatments and explains them thoroughly.He is the Best. He is very reassuring.

Related News

PHILADELPHIA (May 19, 2018) – Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center are seeking to solve a diagnostic dilemma inherent in current treatment recommendations for bladder cancer. This trial marks the first time the true negative predictive value of a normal cystoscopic evaluation is being identified, allowing researchers to establish how often bladder cancer hides under the mucosa and evades endoscopic diagnosis.

​PHILADELPHIA, (June 30, 2017) – Alexander Kutikov, MD, has been appointed the new chief of the Division of Urologic Oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center. He will assume his new responsibilities on July 1, 2017.

Novel surgical and radiation techniques are making it easier for some patients with prostate cancer to prolong their lives following treatment. By employing the most modern clinical tools, Fox Chase Cancer Center offers the latest in imaging and prostate biopsy technology to improve patient care.

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